by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

Late last week we noted new independent research stating that 26% of high-achieving high school seniors hired independent educational consultants for their college search and application process. The research did not examine students whose scores were below the 70th percentile, and we don’t know whether the percentage there grows, or, as we suspect, is a bit lower. In either case, the study has affirmed what IECA has been stating: there is significant growth nationwide of a nature that can fundamentally alter the view of this profession.

In sending out our media release yesterday, more than 100 press contacts have opened and read the press release, as well as admission representatives from over 100 colleges and universities, and hundreds among the public that viewed the release on the IECA Web site and Facebook page. The release was among the top three viewed pages on the IECA Web site both yesterday and today. And, a number of IECA members have posted the press release to their Web site or blog.

In addition to this blog, the Washington Post’s Admission 101 blog has reported the story and invited readers to offer opinions as to whether educational consultants are “worth it.” A few responses to that blog are reprinted below:

“Sharone2” noted, “We used a college planning service for my daughter, and it was very helpful, particularly in guiding her to make a list of activities she needed to do, month-by-month and providing that external prod to get it done.”

When someone wondered why anyone would pay for a consultant with so much free information available on the Internet, “qrcxx3” responded with an analogy that some can relate to: “To me, it’s like hiring a personal trainer. Yup, I can read manuals and search the internet for information on exercises, technique, etc. But there is nothing like that real-life person standing there correcting my form, suggesting specific exercises, and pushing me…”

“nonook44” spoke from a fresh experience, “I just went to a high school yesterday with a senior class of 1,000, with one college counselor. One parent thought her son was procrastinating, but the truth was he didn’t know where to begin. A couple hundred dollars for peace of mind? To know that you went the extra mile at the end? Totally worth it.”

When some made the assertion that consulting must be just for the wealthy (something the 26% use figure alone would dispute), IECA member Emily Snyder responded “If those using my services are any indication…some can afford the fees private consultants charge, but I, like a significant number of my peers across the country, have worked with those who struggle to do so. There will always be those who step up to the plate to offer [these] service to those who would go without.”

If nothing else, the Independent Educational Consultants Association is at the forefront of helping the public understand the breadth, value, and service of educational consultants, and how the profession is expanding to better serve the needs of students—across both the economic and achievement spectrums.

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

Lipman Hearne, one of the nation’s leading marketing and communications firms just released a new, independent study of High-Achieving Seniors and the College Decision. One of their findings, which even they called “A Surprise”: 27% of such students hired an educational consultant to assist in their college search. The first study of its kind in many years, the results show a rate about triple what has been the generally assumed percentage.

Based on a nationwide survey of 1,264 students achieving an 1150 or higher on the SATI (on a 1600 point scale) and/or ACT composite of 25 or higher, those identified in the study were in the 70th percentile and higher. Assisting Lipman Hearne in the research phase was the National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA).

The study provides tremendous insight into the factors students use when deciding among many variables, and explores information gathering among students; it was the finding that more than a quarter of the students hired an educational consultant that may be most shocking.

The fast-growing percentage of students hiring consultants, evidenced in this study, may be a dramatic game-changer for college admission representatives. In recent years university admission officers have sought to expand their applicant pool, diversify applicants to include all regions of the country, and examine ways to attract applicants most likely to be a good match to their institution. I hear often from deans and directors of admission who recognize that IECA member consultants are the ideal way to reach such populations. Unfortunately the myth has persisted that consultants are used only by a tiny fraction of the populations—I’ve heard under 5%—making it an elitist tool. Today we have proof that this is not the case, that educational consultants are very much being employed in the mainstream and reflect hundreds of thousands of college applicants each year.

In today’s Washington Post Admission 101 blog, Jay Mathews notes this surprising high percentage but notes that most of those in survey indicate that consultants are not influential when making the final enrollment decision. Matthews wonders whether this indicates that consultants are not really valuable. As I noted in a comment to his blog, he misses the point. A consultant should NOT be influential in the final decision-making phase; rather the consultant’s value comes earlier, when creating a list that explores a student’s needs, desires, interests, preferences, along with the consultant’s extensive first-hand knowledge of colleges. Once that list is created, a great consultant, a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, to be sure, seeks to empower students to conduct their own research, explore the possibilities, visit campuses, and ultimately make their own decision.  The consultant does create that initial list, but then acts as a coach and advisor, not the “decider.”

I suspect this new research will have significant and dramatic impact on the way consultants are perceived by college admission officials as well as by families. As always, hiring a consultant may be a good option, but only if the family finds a consultant that is knowledgeable, ethical, well-informed, and student-centered. We hope that as the field grows, IECA maintains its leadership role in demanding such high standards of its member consultants.